History, Examination and Assessment of Pain course for Nurses

This session describes the factors that must be taken into account when examining and assessing a patient who is in pain.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Take a patient's pain history
• Identify the psychological factors involved in pain
• Differentiate between nociceptive and neuropathic pain
• Choose the appropriate assessment tool to measure pain

Since all healthcare workers deal with patients who have either transient or more permanent pain, it is important that all team members are aware of not only their own responsibility for assessing and monitoring patients' pain, but also the remit of other team members.